Cisco Enterprise Routers vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

Cisco and MikroTik are both solutions in the Routers category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2, while MikroTik is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.9. Cisco holds a 16.1% mindshare in R, compared to MikroTik’s 7.1% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of MikroTik users who would recommend it.

Cisco Enterprise Routers

Read 110 Cisco Enterprise Routers reviews

2,474 Views
2,375 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Read 25 MikroTik Cloud Router Switch reviews

1,871 Views
711 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Cisco Enterprise Routers

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

Cisco Enterprise Routers and MikroTik Cloud Router Switch compete in the enterprise network hardware category, with Cisco having an advantage in robustness and feature set, while MikroTik stands out for affordability and ease of use.

Features: Cisco Enterprise Routers are equipped with high-performance WAN services, robust IPsec capabilities, and advanced features for large-scale network management. MikroTik Cloud Router Switches, in contrast, offer flexible VLAN handling, user-friendly interfaces, and a competitive pricing model, targeted at small to medium-sized businesses.

Room for Improvement: Cisco could improve affordability and ease of use by revising its pricing structure and simplifying configurations, particularly for WAN integration. MikroTik needs to improve security features to align with enterprise standards and enhance technical support and hardware capabilities for better market positioning.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco offers a variety of deployment options including on-premises and hybrid cloud solutions, backed by comprehensive documentation and technical support, although some users report inconsistencies. MikroTik offers simpler deployment with an emphasis on affordability, though their customer service, while regarded positively, is not as comprehensive as Cisco's.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco routers come at a premium price but provide significant ROI, especially for large enterprises focusing on performance and security. Conversely, MikroTik offers tremendous value with lower initial costs and simple licensing, appealing to budget-conscious small businesses.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

December 2025

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Helped 881,082 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Enterprise Routers

Ranking in Routers

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

110

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Ranking in Routers

5th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Ethernet Switches (17th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Enterprise Routers is 16.1%, down from 22.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 7.1%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Routers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Enterprise Routers	16.1%
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch	7.1%
Other	76.8%

Routers

Featured Reviews

reviewer2759889

Pre-Sales Technical Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Has supported robust enterprise deployments and management while pricing and market reach for advanced features need attention

I'm not sure what improvements could be made on the configuration scale since I'm not involved in complete configuration. Currently, it works effectively and they are incorporating AI adoption. Commercially and financially, the pricing is too high. Customers feel that Cisco Enterprise Routers will not offer the most competitive prices. If they can work on pricing, it would be easier for customers who are considering local products. In India, the government has implemented the Make in India initiative, and Cisco has established a manufacturing unit there. Regarding security products, they need to improve market reach, marketing, and training. While Cisco Enterprise Routers are user-friendly for network and wireless platforms, security product configuration and integration are considered complex compared to FortiGate, Check Point, Sophos, and Palo Alto. They have introduced solutions such as Cloud Defense Orchestrator and Firewall Manager (FMC), but the reach of Cisco security products in India needs improvement.

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Andriejus Artamonovas

IT Specialist at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees

Has supported deeper configuration through traffic mirroring and advanced VLAN setup

The main reason why MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is usually chosen is its raw performance to price ratio. In comparison to UniFi switches, MikroTik Cloud Router Switch can mirror all ports for traffic inspection for further traffic analysis, which UniFi cannot do. VLANs in MikroTik Cloud Router Switch are always useful. The way MikroTik implements VLAN-aware switching at the bridge level is hidden in the configuration. Making CRS work as a simple VLAN-aware switch requires deeper configuration, which is not intuitive. VLANs support individual interfaces not part of the bridge, allowing for double VLANing. You can create a VLAN interface in the interfaces context and also create a bridge interface, add physical ports, create VLANs for that bridge interface, and assign tagged and untagged ports and VLANs. Load balancing is one of the key components. The feature itself is quite efficient and works reliably on MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. The very basic setup is one of my favorites because they have their protocol where I can connect through the MAC address right on Layer 2, and I don't lose connectivity to the switch if I mess up with bridging or IP addressing.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The performance of the devices is very reliable."

"I have found the most valuable feature of Cisco Enterprise Routers to be the simplicity of the command-line interface, it is very intuitive as to how the commands need to be configured for a specific use case."

"The value of Cisco Enterprise Routers isn't about features, it's about stability. The features are comparable across products such as Huawei, as they compete in similar ways. However, regarding stability, Cisco Enterprise Routers performs much better."

"The valuable feature is CLI."

"Something I like about the solution is all the options it offers and ways it can be configured."

"It is easy to use and is very solid."

"Provides good capabilities and performance."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of configuration."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pros

"The interface management and the user access management is pretty good."

"The router power is the most valuable aspect."

"It is user-friendly, reliable, and cheap."

"The initial setup is easy."

"A valuable aspect is its user-friendly configuration, making it accessible even for individuals with basic technical knowledge."

"The GUI is easy to use."

"It's a well-rounded solution for routing."

"The traffic monitoring capabilities are excellent."

More MikroTik Cloud Router Switch pros

Cons

"The only complaint from customers about Cisco is price-wise; they tend to be on the higher side compared to some competition, making it hard to compete in today's market."

"The initial setup can be a little bit difficult."

"Commercially and financially, the pricing is too high. Customers feel that Cisco Enterprise Routers will not offer the most competitive prices."

"If Cisco can give you one license and allow you to use all the features, that would be the best thing. We are using it only as a voice gateway, and there are other options available, but we need to procure licenses to use those options. We can use it as a security device, or we can use it for connecting the LAN side, but for that, we need all those licenses. They can provide one license and allow you to use all the features. This is my recommendation for Cisco."

"I would like to see support for software-defined networking."

"Some of the features could be more secure."

"We would like to see the security improved."

"When we buy new hardware, since we are in Latin America, we have a very long wait in terms of getting the devices."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers cons

"The port isolation and VLAN need to be improved."

"Technical support could be better."

"It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features."

"MikroTik is mostly used by medium and small businesses, so the security is not as robust as Cisco."

"Stuff that I'd like to be improved is really just training and documentation because I think the feature set is full. Another improvement I'd suggest is that their new, bigger releases should be a bit more stable."

"The initial setup is complex."

"Most of the time, the MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is stable. If I were to rate the stability on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the best, I would give it a 5."

"The area for improvement is security. MikroTik is mostly used by medium and small businesses, so the security is not as robust as Cisco."

More MikroTik Cloud Router Switch cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I believe licensing fees are paid once per year."

"Our issues are basically currency related. The licensing is in dollars and the dollar is steadily rising. We've had an increase in the licensing fee due to the simple reason that the exchange rate is almost over 40%. That creates a major issue. If the currency devaluation doesn't stabilize, we may have to look at another solution."

"There is a router-only, perpetual license available for this product, but additional features will mean additional charges."

"Cisco routers are an expensive product."

"It's expensive and the pricing could be improved."

"The price is reasonable."

"It's not probably the best solution if you have a very limited budget, as it can become very expensive to have robust equipment."

"The price should be reduced."

More Cisco Enterprise Routers pricing and cost advice

"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."

"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."

"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."

"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."

"They came with the licensing when we purchased them."

"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."

"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."

"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."

More MikroTik Cloud Router Switch pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

Government

Comms Service Provider

14%

Educational Organization

14%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	46
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	43

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

How do Cisco Enterprise routers compare with Mikrotik routers and switches?

Cisco Enterprise Routers are very stable and easy to use. They offer a very solid performance and are very secure. They also have a very good, long lifespan. We feel the command configuration is ve...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers?

It is expensive, but I am not the person purchasing the products; I just handle the configuration.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Enterprise Routers?

The software cannot be updated usually. The price is very high here in Egypt. Cisco devices are the most expensive. The AI technology must be included in the future to make it even better. They nee...

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What do you like most about MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?

The tool has impacted our company's network costs and productivity in a perfect manner and percentage-wise, I can say it is 120 percent.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?

The Python solution pricing is on the lower side.

See all answers

What needs improvement with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?

It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features. It would be beneficial to...

See all answers

Comparisons

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 42% of the time

Huawei Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 18% of the time

HPE Enterprise Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 12% of the time

Juniper MX Series Routers vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 10% of the time

ADTRAN NetVanta Routers and Switches vs Cisco Enterprise Routers

Compared 2% of the time

More Cisco Enterprise Routers Competitors

TP-Link Omada Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Compared 17% of the time

MikroTik Routers and Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Compared 11% of the time

Huawei Enterprise Routers vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Compared 6% of the time

Aruba Switches vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Compared 6% of the time

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Data Center vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

Compared 3% of the time

More MikroTik Cloud Router Switch Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers

January 2026

Download Cisco Enterprise Routers product report

Buyer's Guide

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

January 2026

Download MikroTik Cloud Router Switch product report

Also Known As

No data available

MikroTik CRS Series

Overview

The high-performance Cisco Enterprise Routers are the market leader due to their breadth of advanced support for LAN/WAN services, redundancy, reliability, and performance.

Cisco

MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is a new Smart Switch series. It combines the best features of a fully functional router and a Layer 3 switch, is powered by the familiar RouterOS. All the specific Switch configuration options are available in a special Switch menu, also ports can be removed from the switch configuration, and used for routing purposes.

MikroTik

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, Boingo, Chartwell School, Children's Hospital of Orange County , Department of Justice, Explorer Pipeline, Linz AG, National Rugby League, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Telecom Italia, Transwestern

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

December 2025

Free Report: Cisco Enterprise Routers vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch

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